Development and Validation of the Vending Evaluation for Nutrient-Density (VEND)ing Audit

Authors

• Tanya M. Horacek, Syracuse UniversityFollow
• Elif Dede Yildirim, Auburn UniversityFollow
• Melissa Matthews Schreiber, Syracuse UniversityFollow
• Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Rutgers UniversityFollow
• Sarah E. Colby, University of TennesseeFollow
• Adrienne A. White, University of MaineFollow
• Karla P. Shelnutt, University of FloridaFollow
• Melissa D. Olfert, West Virginia UniversityFollow
• Anne E. Matthews, University of FloridaFollow
• Kristin Riggsbee, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow
• Lisa Franzen-Castle, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Jesse Stabile Morrell, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow
• Kendra Kattelmann, South Dakota State UniversityFollow

ORCID IDs

0000-0002-6069-9939

0000-0002-9576-5692

0000-0002-8010-3987

0000-0002-8298-3690

0000-0002-3799-9212

0000-0002-6686-3891

0000-0003-3504-5826

0000-0002-5384-5504

0000-0002-0758-8519

0000-0002-6186-2822

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2019

Citation

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 514

Comments

© 2019 by the authors.

Open access

doi:10.3390/ijerph16030514

Abstract

Background: This paper describes the development and validation of the Vending Evaluation for Nutrient-Density (VEND)ing audit to comprehensively evaluate vended products based upon healthfulness, price and promotion, and machine accessibility. Methods: A novel vending nutrient-density score was created to determine the healthfulness of vended snack/beverage products. Field tested in United States colleges, VENDing audit (Σnutrient-density + 10 x % healthy products) and Support sub-scores (price + promotion + accessibility) were calculated for snack/beverage machines. Higher scores indicate more healthful vending options and supports for choosing healthfully. Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Vending (NEMS-V) was used to validate the nutrient-density score for a sub-sample of machines. Sensitivity and specificity were computed by comparing the number of healthy snacks/beverages determined by NEMS-V and the VENDing nutrient-density scores. Results: Researchers conducted the VENDing audit on 228 snack/beverage vending machines at 9 universities within the United States and used both VENDing and NEMS-V on 33 snack and 52 beverage vending machines. Mean VENDing audit scores were 4.5 ± 2.0 (2.6, 3.4) and 2.6 ± 2.0 (0, 12) for snack/beverage machines, respectively. The number of products considered healthy assessed with both the VENDing nutrient-density scores and the NEMS-V were positively correlated for beverages (r = 0.687, p < 0.001) and snacks (r = 0.366, p < 0.05). The sensitivity was excellent for beverages (0.83) and moderate for snacks (0.69); while the specificity was moderate for both beverages (0.66) and snacks (0.50). Conclusions: The VENDing audit uses unique, valid, and